cadence

The regular beat or rate of repeated movements, such as steps or turns of bicycle pedals.

• The runners kept a steady cadence.
• Try increasing your cadence on the bike.
• Their boots struck the road in a regular cadence.

Similar words: rhythm, beat, tempo

Common phrases: steady cadence, pedalling cadence, running cadence

The way a voice or sound rises and falls.

• His voice had a gentle cadence.
• She copied the rising cadence of his question.
• I could hear familiar cadences in their speech.

How to use it: the cadence of something (I recognised the cadence of her voice.)

Similar words: intonation, inflection

Common phrases: familiar cadence, falling cadence, cadence of something

A smooth, regular pattern of rhythm in words, music, or other activity.

• The poem has a gentle cadence.
• Her prose follows the cadence of everyday conversation.
• The repeated phrases gave the speech a powerful cadence.

How to use it: the cadence of something (I like the cadence of these lines.)

Similar words: rhythm, flow

Common phrases: gentle cadence, rhythmic cadence, cadence of something

A movement or change downwards; a gradual loss of height, strength, or importance.

• The essay describes the cadence of an empire.
• He saw old age as a slow cadence.
• The poet compared the setting sun to a cadence into darkness.

Similar words: decline, descent

Opposites: rise

Common phrases: gradual cadence, downward cadence

To give words, sounds, or movements a regular rhythm.

• The drum cadenced their steps.
• She cadenced her words to match the music.
• He carefully cadences each line of verse.

Similar words: rhythmize

Common phrases: cadence a speech, cadence the steps

To arrange something into an organised pattern or order.

• Weekly meetings cadence our work.
• They cadenced the project around three review stages.
• She cadences each training session with clear stages.

Similar words: structure, organise

Common phrases: cadence the work, cadence a process